Mebiol Inc.

Mebiol Inc. is a Japanese research-and-development company based in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, founded in September 1995. It is best known for Imec® (アイメック), a hydrogel-film cultivation technology that allows plants to grow on a thin polymer film rather than in soil. The film is perforated with countless nano-sized pores that permit only water and nutrients to pass through, while blocking bacteria, viruses and other contaminants. Because the system is isolated from the ground by a water-barrier sheet, it can be deployed on desert sand, polluted or salt-damaged soil, and even concrete surfaces. The company describes itself as a fabless, R&D-driven enterprise. Its main revenue stream is royalties from the Imec® patent portfolio, which has been filed in 127 countries and registered in more than 120. Mebiol also offers Mebiol Gel®, a thermoreversible hydrogel made from synthetic polymers, used in drug-delivery carriers, electrophoresis media, cosmetic bases and three-dimensional cell and tissue culture scaffolds. Imec® was first introduced for tomato production in Japan in 2009. The cultivated area has since grown to more than 25 acres and continues to expand. Imec®-grown tomatoes are reported to command roughly three times the market price of conventionally grown vegetables because of their high sugar content, aroma and nutritional value (lycopene, amino acids, GABA). The company is also planning production of melons, strawberries, paprika and leafy vegetables such as lettuce, with future ambitions in fruit trees such as grapes. Internationally, Mebiol positions Imec® as a solution to water scarcity, soil degradation and food insecurity linked to climate change, with deployments beginning in the Middle East, China, Africa and Europe. The company has been involved in reconstruction support in Ukraine and in Japan's tsunami-affected Tohoku region, including Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture. Its president, Hiroshi Yoshioka, has presented at United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) events on green industrial recovery. Honorary chairman Yuichi Mori, a long-time developer of membrane and hydrogel technologies for medical applications such as dialysis, artificial blood vessels and catheters, is credited with the underlying research behind Imec®.

Mebiol Inc. was established on 18 September 1995 in Japan. Its founding team, including honorary chairman Yuichi Mori, had spent more than 30 years developing membrane and hydrogel technologies for medical applications such as artificial dialysis, artificial blood vessels and catheters. The company applied this expertise to agriculture, creating Imec® (アイメック), a hydrogel-film farming method that replaces soil with a thin polymer membrane. The film contains nano-sized pores that allow only water and nutrients to pass, preventing contamination by bacteria and viruses and enabling cultivation in deserts, on polluted or salt-damaged land, and on concrete. Imec® was first introduced for tomato production in Japan in 2009. The technology spread to more than 25 acres of cultivation area, with tomatoes commanding roughly three times the price of conventionally grown produce due to higher sugar content and nutritional value. Mebiol has also planned expansion into melons, strawberries, paprika, leafy vegetables and, in the future, fruit trees such as grapes. Internationally, Mebiol has positioned Imec® as a response to water scarcity, soil degradation and food insecurity. Deployments have begun in the Middle East, China, Africa and Europe. The company has filed patents in 127 countries and registered them in more than 120, with royalty income forming the core of its revenue as a fabless R&D company. Imec® farms have been built in the desert regions of the United Arab Emirates and in tsunami-affected areas of Japan's Tohoku region, including Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture. More recently, Mebiol has supported wartime recovery in Ukraine, with President Hiroshi Yoshioka presenting at a UNIDO partnership event on green industrial recovery in 2026. The company's efforts have been featured by NHK, Nippon TV and other media.

• Mebiol Inc. founded in Japan

• Imec® first introduced for tomato production in Japan

• President Yoshioka presents at UNIDO Ukraine Green Industrial Recovery partnership event

Advanced hydrogel-membrane technology for sustainable, soil-free agriculture and medical/biotech applications.

• Imec® (film farming)

  Hydrogel-film cultivation technology using a thin polymer membrane with nano-sized pores that allow only water and nutrients to pass, enabling soil-free farming.

• Mebiol Gel®

  Thermoreversible hydrogel made from synthetic polymers, used in drug delivery, electrophoresis, cosmetics and 3D cell/tissue culture.

1. 1ホーム | メビオール株式会社mebiol.co.jp
2. 2メビオールについて | メビオール株式会社mebiol.co.jp
3. 3製品情報 | メビオール株式会社mebiol.co.jp
4. 4製品情報-アイメック® | メビオール株式会社mebiol.co.jp
5. 5Mebiol Inc. (Japan) - Wikidatawikidata.org